North Dakota hog, pig inventory drops to 135K head

The agency says that the drop is because the breeding herd has shrunk.

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By Associated Press

Crookston Times - Crookston, MN

By Associated Press

Posted Jan. 2, 2013 at 8:30 PM

By Associated Press

Posted Jan. 2, 2013 at 8:30 PM

Fargo, N.D.

North Dakota's hog and pig inventory has dropped by about 16,000 head.

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that the Dec. 1 year-end inventory was at 135,000 head, a 12 percent decrease compared with the same time frame last year. The agency says that the drop is because the breeding herd has shrunk. The breeding herd had decreased by 5,000 head, while the pig crop was 23,000 below last year's number.

The hog and pig inventory has pinballed over the past 10 years. The largest Dec. 1 inventory was 182,000 head in 2007, while the previous low was 143,000 in 2010.